Name: Argus Brewery

Age: 11

Neighborhood: Roseland

Address: 11314 S Front Ave

Type: Brewery

Argus Brewery was a genuine find on the south side of Chicago’s Roseland neighborhood. Creating and occasionally serving up their own beers, this brewery had a lot of potential, but in the 11 years it was in operation, it never fully received the sort of following that could have propelled it forward to join the heavy hitters of the Chicago craft brew scene. For the years it was in operation, it was a south side destination for Chicago beer aficionados. For years Argus staff attempted to open a tap room, which would have meant that they had fully arrived on the craft brew scene. Unfortunately, onerous City of Chicago permitting kept the taproom just out of reach.

The building itself was once owned by Schlitz Beer. The large wooden doors and horse busts in the facade harking back over a century ago to when this building housed horses that would transport beer to Schlitz “tied houses” in south side neighborhoods. But not every community was serviced by Schlitz. Just across the tracks to the east was the planned, dry community of Pullman, which did not allow the sale of alcohol.